Dementia Consortium funds Manchester-based team targeting immune system in search for new dementia treatments
Team led by Dr David Brough awarded £191,757 by public-private initiative driving early-stage drug discovery programmes.
The Dementia Consortium, a public-private partnership initiative bridging the gap between academic research and the pharmaceutical industry, is supporting a project led by Dr David Brough at the University of Manchester to develop novel therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease targeting the immune system. This is the fifth project supported by the Dementia Consortium, and has been awarded £191,757 by the initiative.
The University of Manchester team will be working in collaboration with drug development experts at MRC Technology’s Centre for Therapeutics Discovery (CTD) to alter inflammatory processes as a means to attempt to reduce the spread of nerve cell damage in Alzheimer’s disease. The brain's immune system has long been implicated as a key factor in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, and it now appears that a malfunctioning immune system may attack the brain and nerve cells, contributing to the damage commonly seen in Alzheimer’s patients.
This project will develop compounds to target a particular component of inflammasomes called NLRP3, which is thought to be a main contributor to the nerve cell damage seen in Alzheimer’s disease. Targeting NLRP3 should reduce inflammatory processes triggered by the inflammasome, thereby reducing damage occurring to nerve cells in the brain. Dr Brough is working with experts at MRC Technology to modify and refine these early stage compounds.
Dr David Brough, Senior Lecturer, University of Manchester, said: “I have always been intrigued by the immune system – it is one of the most complicated systems in our bodies, and combined with our most complex organ, the brain, creates the ultimate enigma for scientists to crack. By shifting our focus to understanding how the immune system goes astray in Alzheimer’s my team has identified a potential way to bring this system back on track and halt the damage being triggered in the brain. The support of the Dementia Consortium is pivotal in allowing us to translate our findings so that they may provide real benefit to all those whose lives are touched by Alzheimer’s disease.”
Justin Bryans, Director, Drug Discovery at MRC Technology, said: “MRC Technology’s CTD has proven capability in drug discovery, and is responsible for accessing early stage molecular targets emerging from academic research, to address the most urgent medical needs. As part of the Dementia Consortium initiative we have the opportunity to increase our reach further, working on projects such as this with the aim of translating promising science into effective treatments for patients.”
Dr David Reynolds, Chief Scientific Officer at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “There are 850,000 people currently living with dementia in the UK, and with this number set to grow to over a million people by 2025, we urgently need new treatments for the condition. Dementia is perhaps our greatest medical challenge and it requires a concerted response in order to tackle it effectively. The Dementia Consortium brings together expertise and enthusiasm from partners across charity and industry to support talented scientists like David Brough.”
Related News
-
News BioNTech to begin mRNA vaccine manufacturing in Rwanda by 2025
German biotechnology company BioNTech has stated their intentions to begin production at their mRNA vaccine factory in Rwanda by 2025, which will mark the first foreign mRNA vaccine manufacturing site on the continent of Africa. -
News Identifying Alzheimer’s Disease biomarker proteins with whole blood tests
A University of Manchester spin-out pharmaceutical company, PharmaKure, has reported successful study results for the quantification of Alzheimer’s Disease biomarker proteins with a whole blood test. -
News Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to boost mRNA vaccine initiatives in Africa with USD $40m
To address vaccine inequality and accessibility issues, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation aims to deliver USD $40m to various biotech companies and vaccine manufacturers in support of mRNA vaccine development. -
News CPHI Podcast Series: Exploring neurological frontiers in Alzheimer's and beyond
The next episode of the CPHI Podcast Series delves into the science and background behind some recent developments in the field of Alzheimer's disease and neurological disorders. -
News Is patient centricity the future of pharmaceutical manufacturing?
In this interview with Sandra Sánchez y Oldenhage, President of PharmAdvice, she speaks to the importance of considering patients in the manufacturing stages of the pharmaceutical supply chain, and how it can redefine healthcare. -
News CPHI Podcast Series: How to leverage AI for Drug Discovery
Artificial intelligence is the topic of debate in the latest episode from the CPHI Podcast Series, where Digital Editor Lucy Chard speaks with Bill Whitford of DPS Group about the integration of AI in healthcare. -
News Pfizer forges ahead with blood cancer therapy after approval from FDA
Pfizer gains accelerated approval from the US FDA for their new bispecific antibody therapy for multiple myeloma, set to address an unmet need for patients. -
News Alzheimer's drug donanemab deemed effective in landmark clinical trial
Results from the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2 Randomised Clinical Trial into the use of donanemab to treat early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease have been analysed.
Position your company at the heart of the global Pharma industry with a CPHI Online membership
-
Your products and solutions visible to thousands of visitors within the largest Pharma marketplace
-
Generate high-quality, engaged leads for your business, all year round
-
Promote your business as the industry’s thought-leader by hosting your reports, brochures and videos within your profile
-
Your company’s profile boosted at all participating CPHI events
-
An easy-to-use platform with a detailed dashboard showing your leads and performance